Lexi Thompson stored a tough spherical from getting worse and wound up holding her personal within the Shriners Youngsters’s Open till darkness stored her from ending.
Beau Hossler set the tempo by matching his profession low on the PGA Tour with a 9-under 62, which included a tee shot that discovered the water left of the par-3 seventeenth on the TPC Summerlin.
Thompson was the principle attraction of this FedEx Cup Fall occasion, the seventh lady to play a PGA Tour occasion and the primary in 5 years.
She was 1-over par for her spherical via 16 holes and selected to mark her ball — a 20-foot par putt on the seventeenth — and return to complete the primary spherical within the morning. Nonetheless in play was an opportunity to make the reduce, although it was arduous work to maintain her rating round par.
“I performed respectable,” Thompson stated. “I had one dangerous gap and some iffy pictures. However it’s golf; it was sort of anticipated.” Thompson took benefit on two of the par 5s for birdie, and she or he obtained a bonus with a birdie putt from inside 25 toes on the second gap that not less than put her in pink numbers. However via 17 holes, she had solely 5 probabilities inside 20 toes.
It seemed as if this spherical might get away from her on the entrance 9. She was even par when she got here up wanting the inexperienced on par-4 seventh and had 12 toes for par. She ran that about 4 toes by and missed that to make a double bogey.
On the par-3 eighth, she got here up properly brief within the tough, chipped about 25 toes by the opening and left her par putt 6 toes brief. Going through one other double bogey, she made that to restrict the injury. Then, she drilled a 3-wood on the par-5 ninth that rolled on the agency fairway simply onto the inexperienced to arrange a two-putt birdie from 30 toes.
“I knew I might get a birdie so long as I hit that fairway,” Thompson stated. “I knew I might get 3-wood up near the entrance of the inexperienced and make birdie there. Hit an excellent drive and simply actually stayed dedicated to that 3-wood. Tried to make eagle, however undoubtedly take a birdie.” She didn’t make one other bogey the remainder of the best way, although she had restricted probabilities at birdies, lacking from 8 toes on the twelfth and leaving an 8-foot putt brief on the par-5 sixteenth.
When play was suspended by darkness, she was in a tie for 76th.
Thompson wound up getting the nice finish of the draw despite the fact that she performed late. The beginning of the spherical was met by sturdy wind and chilly temperatures. The air warmed and the wind died for the afternoon, making TPC Summerlin a bit of extra manageable.
J.T. Poston had a 63 within the morning within the harder circumstances. Hossler, who additionally had a 62 within the ultimate spherical of the 3M Open this 12 months, seemed notably sharp within the afternoon. He missed solely two greens and took benefit of the possibilities he had.
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“Each a part of my sport felt good,” Hossler stated. “To shoot that low you’ve obtained to have appears. Some pretty stress-free birdies is good.” His one mistake didn’t trouble him. The pin was reduce towards the left on the seventeenth, and it slopes severely down a slope towards the water. After his tee shot discovered the hazard, Hossler was capable of drop close to the inexperienced and obtained away with a easy up-and-down for a bogey. Then he holed a brief birdie putt on the 18th for his 62.
Cameron Champ had a 63 within the afternoon, whereas Davis Thompson and Lanto Griffin have been at 64. Ten gamers have been at 66 or higher on a course the place scores sometimes are low.
That provides to Lexi Thompson’s problem within the morning, when she has a putt on the seventeenth inexperienced, performs the 18th gap after which begins her second spherical.
Within the final 70 years, Michelle Wie was the closest to creating the reduce amongst ladies who’ve performed the PGA Tour. She missed by one on the Sony Open in 2004 when she was 14 and a freshman in highschool.
Thompson introduced a white golf bag to the event and had youngsters from the Shriners Youngsters’s Hospital write messages on it. The sponsor exemption solely got here collectively within the final two weeks, and Thompson stated her hope this week was to be an inspiration to kids.
“Shriners does superb issues for these youngsters, so I’m blissful to be out right here and supporting them in any method I can,” she stated.